‘Struggling To See’ – Ex-EFL Star Worries For West Brom | OneFootball

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Former EFL star Adrian Clarke has raised concerns over West Brom, warning he fears for their survival as goals remain scarce despite a talented squad on paper.

West Brom are in a precarious spot in the Championship, sitting 20th and just two points clear of the drop zone.

Just below them, Portsmouth occupy 21st with two games in hand and have been tipped by a former EFL star to survive after strengthening their squad in last month’s transfer window.

The decision to appoint young coach Eric Ramsay following Ryan Mason’s tenure at the Baggies, viewed as a high-risk move, has yet to pay off and remains under scrutiny.

His start at the club has been rocky, with the Welsh head coach still searching for his first win after seven matches in charge.

Clarke pointed out that Oxford United face a tough challenge this season following a managerial change, and that West Brom are in greater danger of relegation than Leicester City.

He said on EFL All Access (31:48): “To be honest, when I look at it, I think Oxford are up against it.

“That leaves one place, and I’m looking at West Brom as being more in trouble than maybe Leicester City.”

Clarke highlighted West Brom’s goalscoring woes, observing that while the squad look strong on paper with recognisable names, morale and confidence are worryingly low.

He pointed to heavy early defeats under Ramsay and a switch to a back-five system that may not suit the players, with just one goal scored in five games, adding extra strain on the defence.

Despite recent draws offering a hint of stability, the 51-year-old admitted he remains concerned about the club’s precarious position.

“I’m struggling to see where they’re going to score.

“I mean, at the moment, you look at their team, and the team looks okay on paper.

“They are names that you recognise, but then again, the morale, the confidence, is so low.

“You know, spanked 5-0 by Norwich in one of his first games.

“I think the first game they played Boro, and they got beat, but it was a decent-ish performance.

“What he’s done, he’s changed the system and gone with the back five, and I don’t know whether that’s what suits the West Bromwich Albion players.

“They’ve sort of stabilised, I guess, in the last two games with goalless draws against Birmingham and Stoke.

“But, they’ve scored no goals in three games, one goal in five games.

“That puts a lot of pressure on the back guys, doesn’t it?

“So, as it stands here today, and I think things will fluctuate, but as it stands today, I’m a bit fearful for West Brom.”

The club hierarchy at the Hawthorns reinforced the squad in the winter window, adding Max O’Leary, Danny Imray and Jamal Jimoh-Aloba to boost West Brom’s survival bid.

With Sheffield Wednesday anchored at the bottom on minus seven points and facing almost certain relegation, the battle to avoid the remaining drop spots could reach a decisive point this week.

West Brom will be hoping Ramsay can secure his first win and start steering the Baggies away from the drop zone to remain clear of the bottom three.